Russia’s Fake Ambulances For The Wealthy

In A Nutshell

In Russia, the traffic is apparently so bad that the rich have taken to hiring fake ambulances to get them places in a hurry. Instead of stretchers and medical supplies, the ambulances have luxurious interiors replete with flat-screen televisions and champagne service.

The Whole Bushel

The city of Moscow is notorious for traffic jams; the streets are often brought to total gridlock by a combination of poorly parked cars and lack of driving restriction. In the winter, the city often receives heavy snow. Police also frequently block roads for the travel of dignitaries, like President Vladimir Putin and Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev, and other party members have blue lights in their cars that allow them to run stoplights. To that end, an ingenious scheme has been dreamed up to get businessmen and other VIPs to their appointments on time.

Ambulances have been outfitted like limousines, complete with plush leather seats, televisions, and refreshments like champagne and caviar. With their sirens blaring, the ambulances scatter traffic and make short work of otherwise unbearable commutes. Police have been cracking down on this dubious practice, and suspect vehicles are pulled over for searches.

The service doesn’t come cheap; trips in the fake ambulances are advertised online for about 6,000 roubles ($200 USD) an hour, but this is a small price to pay for millionaires that have places to go.